Method, apparatus, and system for remote diagnosis using a wireless link

ABSTRACT

According to one aspect of the invention, a method is provided in which a connection is established, via a first wireless network, between a first wireless device located at a first location and a diagnostic control unit located at a second location. The first wireless device is coupled to an equipment at the first location the operations of which to be remotely tested by the diagnostic control unit. One or more diagnostic requests are transmitted, via the first wireless network, from the diagnostic control unit to the equipment through the first wireless device to perform one or more diagnostic operations on the equipment. The requested diagnostic operations are performed on the equipment to generate diagnostic results.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of networking. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to a method, apparatus, andsystem for remote diagnosis of network problems using a wireless link.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] As technology continues to advance and the demand for access toinformation stored on computers connected to various networks continuesto increase, network providers and network operators includingtraditional dial-up Internet service providers (ISPs), cable serviceproviders, DSL service providers, etc., have continued to face more andmore challenges in providing effective and efficient customer servicesincluding timely and cost-effective resolutions of problems experiencedby their network customers or subscribers. Generally, the outside plant(also called network facility or network plant) for a network provideror network operator (e.g., cable or telephony data network operator)usually includes the various equipments and cabling that are not locatedwithin the residence of a user or subscriber. The outside plant mayinclude cabling buried in the utility right-of-way on the subscriber'sproperty, as well as any hardware attached to the outside of theproperty. Problems that occur in the outside plant may preclude thenetwork operator or network provider from obtaining diagnostic data fromthe subscriber, for example, due to a failure of an equipment or cablinganywhere in the outside plant datapath). However, diagnostic datainitiated from the subscriber side is generally valuable in isolatingthe location and cause of the problem since it allows the problem to betracked from two sides. Furthermore, a network problem that is visiblefrom the subscriber perspective may not be visible from the networkoperator's remote perspective because not all points in the outsideplant are addressable or that they are not reachable via the commonoutside plant path. Currently, such problems experienced by a subscriberare addressed by having the subscriber call the network operator'stechnical support and attempt to describe the problem. The technicalsupport personnel then attempts to guide the subscriber or user throughvarious network tests and settings of the subscriber's equipment (e.g.,a cable modem, a DSL modem, etc.) and/or the subscriber's computercoupled to the subscriber's equipment. This is done typically in orderto assess the problem more definitively than to rely on the problemdescription provided by the subscriber. This traditional or conventionalprocess of network troubleshooting via landline voice connection isneither effective nor efficient. Subscribers often report secondary orirrelevant effects or symptoms that mask the true problem. Networktechnicians generally attempt to understand the problem based on theuser's descriptions but the user generally does not have sufficientnetworking background and is not very familiar with various computerconcepts and terminology. In order to trust that the subscriber isperforming and interpreting the requested instructions and operationscorrectly, the technician often will run redundant and circular testprocesses. Even after such redundant tests, the technician may not beable to make much progress with the problem diagnosis and resolution.Consequently, the technician may have to recommend a truck roll (e.g.,service call) so the problem can be seen first hand at the subscriber'slocation. In these cases, the field service technician will spend thefirst portion of the service call to run tests directly from theequipment and/or computer of the subscriber. Such a method fortroubleshooting or solving problems is therefore ineffective andinefficient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] The features of the present invention will be more fullyunderstood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0004]FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram of a conventional or traditionalprocess of network troubleshooting;

[0005]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a systemconfiguration in which the teachings of the present invention may beimplemented;

[0006]FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a diagnostic wirelessservice system configuration in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention; and

[0007]FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram of one embodiment of a methodaccording to teachings of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] In the following detailed description numerous specific detailsare set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of thepresent invention. However, it will be appreciated by one skilled in theart that the present invention may be understood and practiced withoutthese specific details.

[0009]FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram of a conventional or traditionalprocess of network troubleshooting. At block 110, a subscriber or userwho experiences problem(s) with his or her network equipment (e.g., acable modem, DSL modem, set-top box, etc.) calls the network operatortechnical support personnel (e.g., network technician) to report anddescribe the problems. At block 120, the network technician guides thesubscriber through various network tests and/or various settings of thesubscriber's equipments (e.g., modem, computer, etc.) to understand theproblems and the causes thereof. At block 130, the network technicianinstructs the subscriber to run redundant and circular tests to makesure that the subscriber understands and performs correctly therequested testing operations. At block 140, assuming that that networktechnician and the subscriber are unable to resolve the problems, thenetwork technician then recommends a truck roll (service call) to thelocation of the subscriber so that the problems can be seen first handby a field service technician. At block 150, after arriving at thesubscriber's location, the field service technician usually spends thefirst portion of the service call to run tests directly from thesubscriber's equipments to identify the problems and the causes thereof.As explained above, a network troubleshooting process via landline voiceconnection as described in FIG. 1 is inefficient and ineffective becausethe subscriber generally lacks sufficient networking background to beable to accurately describe the problems and/or to perform correctly therequested operations. Furthermore, redundant tests need to be performedso that the network technician can trust that the subscriber understandsand correctly follows the instructions. In addition, the field servicetechnician still has to repeat the tests at the subscriber's location.

[0010]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a systemconfiguration 200 in which the teachings of the present invention may beimplemented. As shown in FIG. 2, the system configuration includes asubscriber's equipment 210 (e.g., a cable modem, DSL modem, a set-topbox (STB), etc.) that is coupled to a computer or another device 220that is capable of displaying information such as diagnostic results(e.g., a TV set) to a subscriber or user during testing or diagnosis ofthe equipment 210. The subscriber's equipment 210 is coupled via a wiredor wireless link to a wireless device 230 that is capable oftransmitting and receiving both voice and data. In one embodiment, thewireless device 230 can be used to transmit and receive both voice anddata to/from another wireless device 240 that is coupled to a diagnosticcontrol device or unit 270 located remotely from the subscriber'slocation, via a wireless network 280. In one embodiment, as described inmore details below, the wireless device 230 (also called the handsetdiagnostic data bridge or HDDB herein) can be a full function personalcommunication system (PCS) or digital cellular phone with additionalcapabilities for data transmission and a diagnostic port for linking toa corresponding diagnostic port on the subscriber's equipment 210. Asillustrated in FIG. 2, the subscriber's equipment 210 is usuallyconnected to an outside plant 250 (also called network facility ornetwork plant) of a network service provider or network operator via thenetwork path 260. As described in more details below, a remotediagnostic method in accordance with the teachings of the presentinvention can be utilized to perform remote diagnosis of the variousfunctions and capabilities of the subscriber's equipment 210, as well asperforming network-side tests to determine whether there are problemswith the outside plant 250.

[0011] If there is in fact a problem with the outside plant 250, theremote diagnostic process as described herein can be performed over thewireless network 280 that is uncorrelated to the network operator'soutside plant 250. While running remote diagnostics over the sameoutside plant may be possible in some cases, depending on the nature ofthe problem, it would be much more effective to isolate the problem byperforming the remote diagnostics over a network that is uncorrelated tothe outside plant 250. Accordingly, the present invention provides for amethod of testing directly from a user's perspective that is viewableremotely by technical support personnel (e.g., network technician) thatsignificantly improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the networktroubleshooting process. This will allow the technical support personnelto see for themselves the various scenarios described by the user orsubscriber while avoiding the time spent in guiding or describing thevarious tests and/or settings they want the user to perform. Even if atruck roll or service call is deemed necessary after performing theremote-initiated diagnostics as described herein, the user may not needto be available for the service call since the various tests orprocedures that the field service technician would need to run directlyfrom the user' equipments would have already been performed prior to theservice call. Accordingly, this would reduce the total time spent by thefield service technician on a service call.

[0012]FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a diagnostic wirelessservice system configuration 300 in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention. In one embodiment, the diagnostic wirelessservice system 300 utilizes a wireless communication link via a wirelessnetwork (e.g., a cellular/PCS communication link) between the serviceprovider's technical support at a remote location (may be in a differentstate) and the subscriber's equipment. The cellular/PCS communicationlink is also referred to as diagnostic wireless service (DWS) herein.Since the operations of the wireless network (e.g., the cellularnetwork) and the service provider's outside plant are uncorrelated, itis highly unlikely that both networks would experience outages orproblems simultaneously.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 3, the subscriber equipment 310 (e.g., modem orset-top box, etc.) is typically connected to a network operator'soutside plant via a network path 320. In one embodiment, the subscriberequipment 310 may include one or more diagnostic applications 322 thatcan be activated or run to perform various tests or diagnostic processesin order to test the various functions and capabilities of thesubscriber equipment 310. For example, the diagnostic applications 322can be designed and configured to perform tests with respect to thetransmitting and receiving functions of the subscriber equipment 310. Inone embodiment, the subscriber equipment 310 further includes aparameter storage unit 324 that is used to store various parameters thatare used for the various tests. In one embodiment, the subscriberequipment 310 also includes a command parser 326 and a diagnostic port328. Generally, the subscriber equipment 310 can be coupled to acomputer or a television set. For example, if the subscriber equipment310 is a modem, it can be coupled or connected to a computer. In oneembodiment, if the subscriber equipment 310 is a modem, part or all ofthe diagnostic applications may reside on the computer. If thesubscriber equipment is a set-top box, the television set may be used todisplay results of the remote test to the user.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 3, the diagnostic wireless service system 300includes a wireless device 350 (also called the handset diagnostic databridge or HDDB herein) that is coupled to the subscriber equipment 310via a wired or wireless diagnostic link 330 that connects a diagnosticport 352 on the wireless device 350 with the diagnostic port 328 on thesubscriber equipment 310. The wireless device 350 includes a transmitter360 and a receiver 370. The transmitter 360, in one embodiment, includesan analog baseband unit 362 and a RF/IF unit 364. The receiver 370, inone embodiment, includes analog baseband unit 372 and a RF/IF unit 374.As shown in FIG. 3, the wireless device 350 further includes a digitalbaseband and control unit 376 coupled to the analog baseband 362, theanalog baseband 372, a voice and data mutiplexer 378, and a voice anddata multiplexer 384. The voice/data multiplexer 378 is coupled to adata framer 380 and a voice framer 382. The voice/data multiplexer 384is coupled to a data formatter 386 and a voice formatter 388. In oneembodiment, the voice formatter 388 is coupled to a CODEC/voiceprocessing unit 390 which is coupled to a mouthpiece 392 and an earpiece394. The digital baseband and control unit 376 is also coupled to akeypad 396 and a memory subsystem 398.

[0015] In one embodiment, voice and data communications between thewireless device 350 and technical support personnel at a remote locationis established using a wireless communication link (e.g., cellular/PCScommunication link). In one embodiment, the technical support personnelat the remote location also uses a wireless device having the same orsimilar configuration and functions as those of the wireless device 350to transmit and receive both voice and data to/from the wireless device350. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the wireless communication linkbetween the wireless device 350 and the technical support personnel is adual-function voice and data link and the wireless device 350 serves abridge between the wireless and the wired networks. In one embodiment,the data can be either encoded and multiplexed with the voice stream orit can be placed on a separate channel dedicated to data transmission.In one embodiment, the separate channel is not limited to a frequencychannel and can be a time-multiplexed channel or anorthogonal-code-multiplexed channel within the same frequency band asthe voice.

[0016] In one embodiment, a subscriber or user who experiencesproblem(s) with the equipment 310 can call and establish connection withtechnical support personnel (e.g., a network technician) at a remotelocation using the wireless device 350. While communicating via voicewith the subscriber or user, the technical support personnel cansimultaneously launch or initiate diagnostic applications 322 todiagnose the various functions and operations of the equipment 310, forexample, by sending diagnostic commands and/or diagnostic data via thewireless device to the equipment 310 over the diagnostic link 330. Inaddition, the technical support personnel can run specific tests orqueries of network data and receive diagnostic results back via thewireless device 350. In one embodiment, the remote-initiated testingprocess as described herein is transparent to the subscriber/user andhappens simultaneously and transparently with their voice communication.Whether the separate channel or the encoded/multiplexed approach isused, the data channel is distinguished from the voice by thecapabilities of the wireless device 350 and is not heard as “modemnoise” by the subscriber/user.

[0017] With the method provided by the present invention, the technicalsupport personnel can run various tests and procedures directly from aremote location and does not have to rely on the user's interpretationor description of the problem. The technical support personnel can seethe diagnostic results as the field service technician would during atruck roll service call, without the need for the field servicetechnician to view the problem at the subscriber's location. If aservice call is still necessary, then upon completion of the servicecall, the field service technician can validate or verify the fix orresolution via the DWS link, in which case the user can be asked toswitch the wireless device 350 into auto-attended mode if the user willnot be available.

[0018] In addition to being able to run tests from the user side, thetechnical support personnel can also run network-side tests. Thisdouble-ended approach allows problems to be quickly isolated or boxedin, which helps the technical supports personnel more accuratelyidentify the location and cause of the problem. In one embodiment, thediagnostic wireless service as described herein can also be used as aredundant phone service for backup purposes. The diagnostic wirelessservice and its operation over an uncorrelated wireless network (e.g.,cellular network) greatly increase the probability that a phone servicewould be available to the user when he needs it.

[0019]FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention. At block 410, aconnection is established, via a first wireless network, between a firstwireless device located at a first location (e.g., the subscriber'slocation) and a diagnostic control unit or device (e.g., used by thetechnical support personnel to diagnose problems) located at a secondlocation (e.g., the remote technical support location). The firstwireless device is coupled to an equipment located at the first locationthe operations/functions of which to be remotely tested or diagnosed bythe diagnostic control unit. At block 420, one or more diagnosticmessages or requests (e.g., diagnostic commands) are transmitted via thefirst wireless network from the diagnostic control unit to the equipmentthrough the first wireless device to perform one or more diagnosticoperations on the equipment. At block 430, the requested diagnosticoperations are performed to generate diagnostic results. At block 440,the diagnostic results are sent to the diagnostic control unit by thefirst wireless device via the first wireless network.

[0020] The invention has been described in conjunction with thepreferred embodiment. It is evident that numerous alternatives,modifications, variations and uses will be apparent to those skilled inthe art in light of the foregoing description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: establishing via a firstwireless network a connection between a first wireless device located ata first location and a diagnostic control unit located at a secondlocation, the first wireless device being coupled to an equipment at thefirst location the operations of which to be remotely tested by thediagnostic control unit; transmitting via the first wireless network oneor more diagnostic requests from the diagnostic control unit to theequipment through the first wireless device to perform one or morediagnostic operations on the equipment; and performing the requesteddiagnostic operations on the equipment to generate diagnostic results.2. The method of claim 1 further including: transmitting via the firstwireless network the diagnostic results to the diagnostic control unit.3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first wireless network is selectedfrom the group consisting of an analog cellular network, a digitalcellular network, a personal communication services (PCS) network, apaging communication network, and a global system for mobilecommunications (GSM) network.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the oneor more diagnostic requests include one or more diagnostic commands toinitiate one or more diagnostic applications to test various operationsof the equipment.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first wirelessdevice is coupled to the equipment via a wireless link.
 6. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the first wireless device is coupled to the equipmentvia a wired link.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the equipment is amodem coupled to a computer.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein theequipment is a set-top box coupled to a television set.
 9. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the first wireless device and the equipment eachincludes a communication port for transmission of information betweenthe first wireless device and the equipment.
 10. The method of claim 1further including: transmitting via the first wireless network one ormore network test requests from the diagnostic control unit to theequipment through the first wireless device to test the operationalcapability of a communication line coupling the equipment to a networkfacility of a network service provider located remotely from the firstlocation.
 11. The method of claim 1 further including: communicating viathe first wireless network voice messages in a voice stream between thefirst wireless device at the first location and the diagnostic controlunit at the second location.
 12. The method of claim 11 whereindiagnostic data are encoded and multiplexed with the voice stream. 13.The method of claim 11 wherein diagnostic data are placed on a separatechannel designated for data transmission.
 14. The method of claim 13wherein the separate channel is selected from the group consisting of afrequency channel, a time-multiplexed channel, or anorthogona-code-multiplexed channel within the same frequency band as thevoice stream.
 15. An apparatus comprising: a receiver to receive, via awireless network, diagnostic request information from a diagnosticcontrol unit located at a remote location, the diagnostic requestinformation being used to initiate one or more diagnostic operationswith respect to a communication equipment coupled to the apparatus; adiagnostic port to establish a communication link between the apparatusand the communication equipment, the communication link being used totransmit information between the apparatus and the communicationequipment; and a transmitter to transmit diagnostic results receivedfrom the communication equipment to the diagnostic control unit at theremote location via the wireless network.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15wherein the communication link between the apparatus and thecommunication equipment is a wireless link.
 17. The apparatus of claim15 wherein the communication link between the apparatus and thecommunication equipment is a wired link.
 18. The apparatus of claim 15wherein the communication link between the apparatus and thecommunication equipment is a dual-function voice and data link.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 15 wherein, in response to the diagnostic requestinformation, one or more diagnostic operations are performed on thecommunication equipment to generate diagnostic results with respect tovarious operational capabilities of the communication equipment.
 20. Theapparatus of claim 15 wherein, in addition to diagnostic information,voice messages are transmitted in a voice stream between the apparatusand the diagnostic control unit at the remote location via the wirelessnetwork.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein diagnostic informationare encoded and multiplexed with the voice stream.
 22. The apparatus ofclaim 20 wherein diagnostic information are placed on a separate channeldesignated for data transmission.
 23. The apparatus of claim 15 whereinthe wireless network is selected from the group consisting of an analogcellular network, a digital cellular network, a personal communicationservices (PCS) network, a paging communication network, and a globalsystem for mobile communications (GSM) network.
 24. A system comprising:a communication device located at a first location; a diagnostic controlunit located remotely from the communication device to diagnose theoperations of the communication device; and a wireless apparatus coupledto the communication device to provide a diagnostic interface betweenthe communication device and the diagnostic control unit, the wirelessapparatus to communicate with the diagnostic control unit via a wirelessnetwork, the wireless apparatus to transmit one or more diagnosticrequests that are received from the diagnostic control unit to thecommunication device to initiate one or more diagnostic operations withrespect to the communication device, and the wireless apparatus totransmit diagnostic results received from the communication device tothe diagnostic control unit.
 25. The system of claim 24 wherein thewireless apparatus includes: a receiver to receive, via the wirelessnetwork, diagnostic request information from the diagnostic controlunit, the diagnostic request information being used to initiate one ormore diagnostic operations with respect to the communication device; adiagnostic port to establish a communication link between the wirelessapparatus and the communication device, the communication link beingused to transmit information between the wireless apparatus and thecommunication device; and a transmitter to transmit diagnostic resultsreceived from the communication device to the diagnostic control unit atthe remote location via the wireless network.
 26. The system of claim 25wherein, in response to the diagnostic request information, one or morediagnostic operations are performed on the communication device togenerate diagnostic results with respect to various operationalcapabilities of the communication device.
 27. The system of claim 25wherein, in addition to diagnostic information, voice messages aretransmitted in a voice stream between the wireless apparatus and thediagnostic control unit via the wireless network.
 28. A machine-readablemedium comprising instructions which, when executed by a machine, causethe machine to perform operations including: establishing via a firstwireless network a connection between a first wireless device located ata first location and a diagnostic control unit located at a secondlocation, the first wireless device being coupled to an equipment at thefirst location the operations of which to be remotely tested by thediagnostic control unit; transmitting via the first wireless network oneor more diagnostic requests from the diagnostic control unit to theequipment through the first wireless device to perform one or morediagnostic operations on the equipment; performing the requesteddiagnostic operations on the equipment to generate diagnostic results;and transmitting via the first wireless network the diagnostic resultsto the diagnostic control unit.
 29. The machine-readable medium of claim28 further including: transmitting via the first wireless network one ormore network test requests from the diagnostic control unit to theequipment through the first wireless device to test the operationalcapability of a communication line coupling the equipment to a networkfacility of a network service provider located remotely from the firstlocation.
 30. The machine-readable medium of claim 28 further including:communicating via the first wireless network voice messages in a voicestream between the first wireless device at the first location and thediagnostic control unit at the second location.